Spellcrafting for Monday

 Spirituality
 Astral work
 Dreams
 Psychic talents
 Lunar energy
 Family
 Emotions
 Children
 Pets
 Fertility
 Female Energy
 Purification

Source

A Spell Crafter’s Compendium
Terri Paajanen

The Sky This Week for August 22 to August 28

Planets, Pallas, and the Big Dipper will all make wonderful viewing this week.

By Richard Talcott

Monday, August 22

• The constellations Ursa Major the Great Bear and Cassiopeia the Queen lie on opposite sides of the North Celestial Pole, so they pivot around the North Star (Polaris) throughout the course of the night and the year. In late August and early September, these two constellations appear equally high as darkness falls. You can find Ursa Major and its prominent asterism, the Big Dipper, about 30° above the northwestern horizon. Cassiopeia’s familiar W-shape, which currently lies on its side, appears the same height above the northeastern horizon. As the night progresses, Cassiopeia climbs above Polaris while the Big Dipper swings below it.

Tuesday, August 23

• The three evening planets form a pretty isosceles triangle above the western horizon tonight. Jupiter stands highest and lies some 4° from both Mercury and Venus, while the two inner planets appear 6° apart.

• The western twilight vista isn’t the only exciting one happening this evening. As those three planets set, shift your gaze about 25° above the south-southwestern horizon. There you will find fiery Mars flanked by golden Saturn some 4° above it and ruddy Antares 2° below it. The two bright planets form a straight line with the 1st-magnitude star tonight.

Wednesday, August 24

• Last Quarter Moon occurs at 11:41 p.m. EDT. It rises around midnight local daylight time and climbs high in the southeast by the time twilight starts to paint the sky. Earth’s only natural satellite lies next to the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus the Bull.

Thursday, August 25

• Mars passes 4° due south of Saturn today. The Red Planet shines twice as bright as its ringed companion, and the two make a stunning pair with the naked eye and through binoculars. Both are worth examining through a telescope as well. Mars’ sports an orange-red disk that spans 11″ and shows several subtle dark markings. Saturn measures 17″ across while its dramatic ring system stretches 38″ and tilts 26° to our line of sight.

Friday, August 26

• Distant Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility one week from today, but the view now is essentially the same. The ice giant planet rises during evening twilight and climbs nearly halfway to the zenith in the southern sky by 1:30 a.m. local daylight time. The magnitude 7.8 planet lies in Aquarius, 1.1° southwest of 4th-magnitude Lambda (l) Aquarii. You’ll need binoculars to spy Neptune and a telescope to see its blue-gray disk, which spans 2.4″.

Saturday, August 27

• Venus and Jupiter lie closer to each other today than at any time since May 2000. At their tightest, just 4.2′ separate them. Unfortunately, this happens in late afternoon from North America. By twilight, the two worlds have pulled slightly apart — 5.5′ from the East Coast and 12.1′ from the West Coast. Still, that’s close enough that many people will see the two merge into one. Binoculars will provide spectacular views, clearly splitting the pair and revealing Mercury 5° to their lower left and just above the horizon. Most telescope-eyepiece combinations will show Venus and Jupiter in the same field, with Jupiter spanning 31″ and Venus 11″.

Sunday, August 28

• Evenings this week are great times to explore the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. This star group lies due south and at peak altitude around 9 p.m. local daylight time, just as the last vestiges of twilight fade away. The brightest stars within the constellation form the shape of a teapot — a distinctive asterism once you’ve found it. The central regions of the Milky Way pass through Sagittarius, so it’s always worth exploring the area through binoculars or a telescope.

Source

Astronomy Magazine

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Monday, August 22nd

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 99.04° E
Sun Altitude: 30.66°
Sun Distance: 94.004 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2016 9:21 AM (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:17 AM↑ 75° East
Sunset Today: 7:36 PM↑ 285° West
Length of Daylight: 13 hours, 18 minutes

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 261.18° W
Moon Altitude: 21.25°
Moon Distance: 228155 mi
Next New Moon: Sep 1, 20164:03 AM
Next Full Moon: Sep 16, 20162:05 PM
Next Moonset: Today10:54 AM
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 78.2%

Source

timeanddate.com

The Coven Spell

O ancient ones of heaven, earth and sea,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!
To music of the night-wind blowing free,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

The owl hoots within the hollow tree,
The black cat runs by night silently,
The toad beneath the stone dwells secretly,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

To moon that draws the tides of air and sea,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!
To god that bides beneath the greenwood tree,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

By witches’ garter bound about the knee,
By staff and cauldron and all powers that be,
We will the thing in our minds we see,
We chant the coven spell, thus shall it be!

The Spell is flowing like the sea,
The spell is growing like the tree,
Like flame that burns and blazes free.
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
We chant the spell, thus shall it be!
IT IS!

“Witchcraft For Tomorrow,” by Doreen Valiente
Originally published on Pagan Library

Good Sunday afternoon, my sweets! No, we haven’t skipped town, lol! We woke up to a very unusual morning for it to be August. The temperature was in the low 60’s, a cool breeze blowing and the Sun shining brightly. Oh, it was beautiful and still is. I hope wherever you might be, you are having a beautiful Sunday also.

We sort of got carried away enjoying this beautiful day. We had the pups outside playing with them. Then we walked to the ponds and started to go fishing. If we had any worms, we probably would have. The next thing we knew it was 11:15. You can imagine my response to that(oh,crap, not the exact words but close). I got on the computer to check one of our old email accounts and I found a lovely note from our previous site’s host. It informed me they were starting to delete idle groups from their site. Ours ain’t idle, it is just plain deserted. It is locked so no one can get in and it has been that way for years. We still have a ton of information over there. Some it is from sites that we had permission to use and they no longer exist. It is information I would hate to lose. Since we got that lovely note, we are transferring information from the old site to this one. Some of the information may contain sources and some of it doesn’t. If you should see anything that needs crediting and it doesn’t contain credits, please let me know. We always try to give credit to the source of the information. Back in the day where this info is coming from, I preached and preached about crediting but it felt on deaf ears. So if you see anything that needs credits added to it, please let me know.

Well, if I don’t quit talking we are never going to get anything done. The first batch of info coming over is about the Runes. If you are not interested in the Runes, have patience, more will be coming on different topics.

I am off for now. Have a very beautiful and blessed Sunday!

Love ya,

Lady A

All those who have suffered terrible losses in our country and around the world. Remember those in Louisiana, who have suffered from devastating flooding. Remember those in California, who have lost everything in the wildfires. Remember those who are suffering silently from tragedies and loss we know nothing about.

Compassionate Goddess, we pray for those who have been devastated by
the fires and the floods that are ravaging our world.
We remember those who have lost their lives and their families.
We hold in our hearts the brothers, sisters, mothers & fathers
forever changed by these losses.
Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them
with our prayers for strength. Bless those who have survived and heal
their memories of trauma and devastation. May they have the courage
to face the long road of grief and healing ahead.

We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their
livelihoods, their security and their hope. Bless the work of relief
agencies and those providing emergency assistance. May their work
be guided by the grace and strength that comes from You alone.

Help us to respond with generosity in prayer, in assistance, in aid to the
best of our abilities. Keep our hearts focused on the needs of those
affected, even after the crisis is over. 

We ask this in Your Divine name, Almighty Goddess.

So Mote It Be

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Most successful ventures have behind them some hardships. We as human beings demand such experiences before we can truly appreciate the meaning of victory. No one promised that life would be one long gala event, but if we’re made of durable stuff, we neither let it hinder us not make us run roughshod to get ahead.

We must always recognize past hardships for what they are. We cannot ignore them, for they are a part of our makeup. But neither can we let them become crutches to lean upon when there’s a need for an excuse.

Bitterness over past experiences wastes valuable time. Perhaps it was those hardships that gave us the strength to rise above the mediocre things. However crude, ugly or unhappy, even tragic, some of the times may seem, as seen alone, when combined with all our other knowledge they form the perfect circle and play no more important part than all the rest.

In the words of American poet John Neal, “No man ever worked his passage anywhere in a dead calm.”

_________________________________

Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – August 20

“…remember and think about the closeness of Wanka-Tanka. If they live in this wisdom, it will give them endless strength and hope.”

–Fools Crow, LAKOTA

The value of staying close to the Creator is the immediate help we have available to us whenever we need it. I can listen to the whisper of my heart for this is the place He communicates with me. Staying close helps me remember that we are here to serve Him and to help other people. The Grandfathers are my direct access to wisdom. He who has wisdom has everything. If we have wisdom, then we will see our lives become more effective in the areas of jobs, relationships, family, friends and finances.

My Creator, today grant me the wisdom to seek Your wisdom. Help me to Walk of the Red Road.

August 20 – Daily Feast

Talking trouble is rehearsing trouble. Innocent as it sounds, it draws an outline for the thing to happen. Medical information in the wrong hands lays out a mere possibility but is always a catalyst for hope and false hope at that. Remember that most of what we hear is simply read to us as a bedtime story meant to help us rest – but it never does. Someone said talk is cheap, but it isn’t. It is one of the most expensive items we can handle. And talking trouble may be entertaining but it is costly
– and never worth what we seem willing to pay.

~ I am master of my condition, I am master of my own body. ~

ADARIO – HURON CHIEF, 1600’s

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Trying to Please Others
Living for Ourselves

by Madisyn Taylor

We may not realize until we are adults that we are living our life to make our parents happy.

Most of us come to a point in our lives when we question why we are doing what we are doing, and many of us come to realize that we may be living our lives in an effort to make our parents happy. This realization can dawn when we are in our 20s, our 40s, or even later, depending upon how tight a hold our family of origin has on our psyche. We may feel shocked or depressed by this information, but we can trust that it is coming to us at this time because we are ready to find out what it would mean to live our lives for ourselves, following the call of our own soul, and refusing any longer to be beholden to someone else’s expectations.

One of the most common reasons we are so tied into making our parents, or others, happy, is that we were not properly mirrored when we were children. We were not honored as individuals in our own right, with a will and purpose of our own, to be determined by our own unfolding. As a result, we learned to look outside of ourselves for approval, support, and direction rather than look within. The good news is that the part of us that was not adequately nurtured is still there, inside us, like a seed that has not yet received the sunlight and moisture it needs to open and to allow its inner contents to unfurl. It is never too late to provide ourselves with what we need to awaken this inner being.

There are many ways to create a safe container for ourselves so that we can turn within and shine the light of awareness there. We may join a support group, go to therapy, or start a practice of journaling every day for half an hour. This experience of becoming is well worth the difficult work that may be required of us to get there. In whatever process we choose, we may feel worse before we feel better, but we will ultimately find out how to live our lives for ourselves and how to make ourselves happy.

Source

Daily OM

Circle Etiquette (varied sources)

• Never summon Anything you can’t banish.
• Never put asafoetida on the rocks in the sweat lodge.
• Do not attempt to walk more than 10 paces while wearing all of your ritual jewelry, dream bags and crystals at the same time.
• When proposing to initiate someone, do not mention the Great Rite, leer, and say, “Hey, your trad or mine?”
• Never laugh at someone who is skyclad. They can see you, too.
• Never, *ever* set the Witch on fire.
• Looking at nifty pictures is not a valid path to mastering the ancient grimoires. Please read thoroughly and carefully from beginning to end so that your madness and gibberings will at least make some sense.
• A good grasp of ritual and ritual techniques are essential! In the event of a random impaling, or other accidental death amongst the participants, (see next rule) a quick thinker can improvise to ensure successful completion of the Rite. Make them another sacrifice, Demons really love those those.
• Watch where you wave the sharp pointy items.
• Avoid walking through disembodied spirits.
• Carry an all-purpose translator’s dictionary in case the ritual leader begins talking in some strange and unknown language.
• Avoid joining your life force to anything with glowing red eyes.
• If asked to sign a contract or pact and you are experiencing doubts or reservations, sign your neighbor’s name. Malevolent entities rarely ask for photo ID.
• Blood IS thicker than water. Soak ritual garments an extra 30-45 minutes.
• While drunken weaving may be mistaken for ecstatic dancing, slurring the names of Deities is generally considered bad form.
• If the ritual leader should ask for a volunteer, resist the urge to raise your hand! While it is true that volunteering will most likely gain you stature and prestige amongst the group, thereby allowing you to advance quickly through the ranks, it is equally likely to get you strapped to a table and eaten alive by a drooling demonic horde.

Original Authors Unknown

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2016 August 20

Gamma-rays and Comet Dust
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel López (El Cielo de Canarias)

Explanation: Gamma-rays and dust from periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle plowed through planet Earth’s atmosphere on the night of August 11/12. Impacting at about 60 kilometers per second the grains of comet dust produced this year’s remarkably active Perseid meteor shower. This composite wide-angle image of aligned shower meteors covers a 4.5 hour period on that Perseid night. In it the flashing meteor streaks can be traced back to the shower’s origin on the sky. Alongside the Milky Way in the constellation Perseus, the radiant marks the direction along the perodic comet’s orbit. Traveling at the speed of light, cosmic gamma-rays impacting Earth’s atmosphere generated showers too, showers of high energy particles. Just as the meteor streaks point back to their origin, the even briefer flashes of light from the particles can be used to reconstruct the direction of the particle shower, to point back to the origin on the sky of the incoming gamma-ray. Unlike the meteors, the incredibly fast particle shower flashes can’t be followed by eye. But both can be followed by the high speed cameras on the multi-mirrored dishes in the foreground. Of course, the dishes are MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, an Earth-based gamma-ray observatory on the Canary Island of La Palma.

See the daytime moon